REVIEW: Native Deodorant

Y’know, normally I would apologize or explain why I haven’t posted anything on this blog for several months, but, like, it’s not very complicated – I’ve just been prioritizing other things. Anyway, the meat and potatoes of this post is that I’m here to YELL AT YOU ABOUT HOW MUCH I LOVE NATIVE DEODORANT. THIS IS NOT A SPONSORED POST, BUT IT REALLY SHOULD BE, BECAUSE I LIKE NATIVE DEODORANT AND I LIKE MONEY.

My deodorant history looks like this:

I started wearing a solid Secret deodorant in 7th grade after one day when the girls were segregated from the boys and one of the teachers handed out mini deodorants because we were Coming Of Age. My mom refused to buy me deodorant on the grounds that it would give me breast cancer, so I hoarded my single travel-sized stick all the way ’til high school.

In the meantime, my mom tried to convince me that natural deodorants that didn’t have antiperspirant ingredients would do the job just as well. To nobody’s surprise, rubbing a crystal on my armpits made my armpits smell fresh for almost two whole minutes, and Tom’s of Maine made me break out in a rash and smelled terrible after a few hours.

Early on in my high school career, I became extremely self-conscious about my abnormally sweaty armpits (spoiler alert: they’re normal) and was convinced that I had to do something about it. (It was also about this time that my single mini stick of Secret had run out.) I stole my brother’s (or uncle’s? I don’t know) gel deodorant/antiperspirant and applied it daily. It worked, and damn was it strong.

Partway through high school I secretly bought myself a gel deodorant/antiperspirant from Secret, convinced that I could not sweat ever, and just stuck with the same product out of apathy for a decade. A DECADE!!!

(I had a brief fling in 2014 with Zion Health Clay Dry Deodorant, which smelled good but was basically ineffective after any physical activity.)

One day in 2015 I copped my partner’s deodorant out of necessity. Turns out I like the smell of Old Spice way more than the smell of baby powder and lavender, and it’s effective as an antiperspirant and a deodorant, so I switched for the better part of a year.

AND THEN!!! A couple months ago I received an email from Native Deodorant (through some giveaway I signed up for and did not win), with a COUPON and I was INTRIGUED and the rest, as they say, is history.

The first two weeks of use, it honestly was not very effective and the armpits of my shirts smelled by the end of the day (but only upon close sniffing), but after that break-in period, HOO BOY. It’s performed AMAZINGLY. One weekend I ended up not showering for like three days and I STILL smelled fresh and clean by the time I finally took a shower.

I mean, okay, it doesn’t keep me completely odor-free after a vinyasa yoga class, but neither did my Secret gel deodorant. (In fact, the Secret deodorant smelled really gross and cloying after I broke a sweat or skipped a shower.) And Native Deodorant is only a deodorant, not an antiperspirant, but that works for my lifestyle because I only work out at the end of my workday. And honestly? An aluminum-free deodorant that ACTUALLY FOR REAL WORKS AND DOESN’T MAKE MY PITS RASHY AND IS REASONABLY PRICED AT $12???

(Caveats: I’m not an especially smelly person, I generally don’t sweat much unless I’m exercising, and Native Deodorant contains both baking soda and coconut oil, which can be irritating for some people’s skin, so YMMV. If you know you have a sensitivity to baking soda, the sensitive skin version is baking soda-free, so you might give that one a try.)

TL;DR:

PROS:

reasonably priced ($12)

free shipping

does not contain aluminum

smells like emotional repression good, scent is not overpowering

did not irritate my skin or give me a rash

deodorizing performance is great with normal levels of sweatiness

deodorizing performance is comparable to a gel antiperspirant with high levels of sweatiness

CONS:

not an antiperspirant

contains baking soda and coconut oil (potential irritants for some people, though they do make a baking soda-free version)

4 Replies to “REVIEW: Native Deodorant”

Shouting out to the ladies who like more “manly” scents. Because I don’t want to smell like my Nana’s powder room. I was on the fence about whether to order the “feminine fresh” Cucumber Mint or the manly Oakmoss Basil Leaf, and your post tipped me over to embrace my mossy leafy self. Thanks for the candid review!